Boiler absorber for refrigerating machines



June 17, 1930. s. OTTO ET AL BOILER ABSORBER FOR REFRIGERATING MACHINES Filed March 22, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 17, 1930. s, T El AL 1,764,051

BOILER ABSORBER FOR REFRIGERATING MACHINES Filed March 22, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AQQWWW M Patented June 17, 19

" UNIT D STATES PATENT I caries.-

sTUART oTTo, 0E WILTON, oomvEcTrcuT, AND Lunwm REIcEERT, or BROOKLYN, A

NEW. YoRx, AssIeNoRs To eAs REFRIGERATION CGRPORATION, or sc AnToN,

PENNSYLVANIA, ACORPORATION OF DELAWARE BOILER ABSORBER FOB RE RIeERATmo MACHINES Application filed March 22, 1927. Serial No. 177,314.

This invention is particularly applicable for use in refrigerating apparatus of the absorption type and more'particularly to the small sized automatically operatin apparatus such as are adapted for ousehold refrigerators.

' In an apparatus of this kind, there is provided a boiler-absorber which is alternately heated and cooled. During the heating period the device operates as a boiler and the ammonia or other refrigerant gas is driven oii and caused to li'quefy under pressure. During the cooling period the device operates as an absorber and the. liquefied gas is caused to evaporate and return to the absorbent Among the objects of our invention are to reduce to a minimum the heat storage capacity of the boiler-absorber so that there may be'a comparatively rapid change from one operation to the other in the cycle to reduce to a minimum the heat radiation to the room during the heating period; and to cause the direct application of the heat to the parts to be heated whereby there is an I efficient utilization of the heat.

In the accompanying drawings, there are illustrated certain embodiments of our invention,- but it will be obvious that other forms might be designed within the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is an end view partly in section of an apparatus constructed in accordance with .our invention; 7

Fig. -2 is a side elevation partly in section of the form shown in Fig. 1; and

Figs. 3 to 8 inclusive are central vertical sections of other forms, but shown'somewhat diagrammatically.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 andv2, the invention is applied to a type of boiler-absorber operating on the sameprin ciple as that disclosed in the Otto and Jan kus Patent 1,470,638 issued October 16, 1923. The boiler-absorber includes an upper chamber or vessel 10 serving primarily as a boiler,

and a lower chamber or vessel 11 servingprimarily-as an absorber. The lower por to the lower portion of thelower chamber 11 at" one or both ends by a pipe 12 which connects to a perforated pipe 13 extending lengthwise of the lower chamber near the bottom of the latter. -The up er chamber 10 has a pipe 14 which serves or the delivery of gas to the apparatus during the absorption period and t theagparatus during the boiling or heating per o M For heating the'apparatus, there is pibvideda'burne'r tube 15 which extends lengthwise of and between the two chambers 10 and 11.- It has tworows of gas outlets. or burners for directing a separate row .of flames against each chamber. Preferably,

the chamber 10 is not directly above the burner tube 15 lies more near y below the e delivery of gas from I boiler and approximately at the side of the I absorber.

The operation of the boiler-absorber is as follows:

During the heating period, the flame playing. against the upper part of the chamber 11 will cause thegeneration of gas in that chamber, and the gas pressure will force I practically all ofithe absorbent'liquid from the lower chamber to the upper chamber through the ipe 12. The flame playing on the lower si e of the 'upper chamber will cause the gas to be boiled off and delivered through the ipe 14 to the condenser. .When the heat is. s at off and the cooling-'medium is turned on, there will be a rapid drop in j chamber will return to the lower cham er fromthe evaporator through the pipe 14 will there are employed, as important features temperature and the liquid in the up er through the pipe 12. The gas returning-6 I pass through the chamber 10 and thepipei '12 and bubble through the pipe 13 into t li ui l in the lower chamber and be absorbed.

n connection with this boiler-absorber, 65 v I of our invention, two casings, one inside of the other andspaced apart. As shown, the two chambers which are in the form of cylindrical tanks are spaced apart by. a pair of end p1ates16 which have their upper and lower edges cut to conform to the two tanks. These plates may serve to support the burner 15' which latter holds the plates in proper parallelism and against endwise movement.-

front wall 29 extends down outside of the burner tube 15 to a point adjacent to the supporting surface and at a short distance from the front of the absorber 11. These walls 18, 19, and 20 have inwardly turned end flanges for engaging the peripheral wall of the boiler and for attachment, to the plates 16. a

The outer casing has front top, and rear walls 21, 22, and 23 also preferably formed of a single piece of sheet metal and disposed approximately parallel to, but spaced from the walls of the inner casing. The lower edges .of the front and rear walls 21 and 23 device rests.

extend down to, but are preferably spaced from the supporting surface on which the These walls have inwardly turned flanges or end walls approximately following the contour of both of the tanks or chambers of the boiler-absorber.

The inner casing at the top has a flue 24 ,which communicates with the space between the inner casing and the top of the boiler, while theouter casing has a flue 25 encircling flue 24 but spaced therefrom and communicating with the space between the two casings.

In the operation of the device, air to support combustion may enter the inner casing between the absorber 11 and the front wall 20 and may pass upwardly to the burner and thence around both sides of the boiler 10 to'the flue 24. The hot gaseous products of combustion will be kept very close to the walls of the boiler. The heat absorbed .by the inner casing wall will be radiated inwardly toward the boiler so that the heat is effectively applied to the parts to be heated. Some of the heat will be radiated outwardly from the inner casing but it will be carried away by. the air which enters between the two casings and passes upwardly to the outer flue 25. This air current will be induced by a the heating action of the inner casing and also by the ejector action of the inner flue 24:. The cooling of the inner casing by the air current between the two casings is such that even when the boiler is at its highest tern perature, the outer casing will be compara-' tively cool and therewill be the minimum heat radiated or conducted to the atmosphere of the room from the apparatus. Furthermore, the an, current passing along the supporting surface to get beneath the edges of the outer casing will cool the bed plate or support so that there will be the minimum conduction of heat downwardly from the apparatus to the refrigerator box, if the apparatus be mounted on the top of the latter. This cooling of the'bed plate or supporting surface is also facilitated by the movement of air along said surface to get beneath the edgeof the front wall of the inner casing to support combustion.

The air drawn through the" outer casing mixes with, dilutes and cools the gases from the flue 24 so-that there is the minimum heat radiated to the room from the flues.

It will be noted that the lower edge of the wall 20 is curved inwardly and backwardly so as to afford the maximum distance of travel of the air over the supporting surface before it reaches the inner casing.

The inner and-outer casings may have registering openings 26 for a pilot light and reglstering openings 27 for the gas supply pipe. Experiments have demonstrated that the construction illustrated operates more satisfactorily than does a similar construction in which there is no outer casing, but instead there is a'heavy layer of insulation on the inner casing. The heat stored in such insulation prevents the boiler from being rapidly cooled after the end of the heating period. As the means employed for cooling the absorber during the absorption action does not form any part of our invention, it has not been illustrated. It will be understood that such cooling means may be an ordinary coil in either or both of the two chambers of the boiler-absorber.

In Fig. 3 there is illustrated a boilerabsorber 10 similar to that disclosed in the Otto and J ankus Patent 1,470,638, but with an annular burner -15 encircling the lower section of reduced diameter. In this case, the inner casings 17 and 22 .entirely surround the boiler-absorber instead of leaving the ends exposed as in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In Fig. 4. there is shown a.construction in which the heating element iselectrical rather than gaseous and therefore there is'no need In theconstruction shown in'Fig. 5, the' boiler 10 is of annular form with a central tube 31 for the gaseous products of combustion from the burner 15. In this case, the

'outer wall of the boiler is provided with a jacket 31 and outside of this is an air jacket gas flue at the top.

In Fig. 6 there is shown-a boiler 10 'in which there is an annular electric heating element at the .lower end. The outer jacket 22 operates substantially in the same mannerv as other jackets hereinbefore' dements shown there might be a jacket'or passage for-the circulation of steam, hot water,-

hot oil or other fluid heating medium. The chamber to be heated in each case might be a simple boiler rather than a boiler-absorber.

In Figs. 7 and 8 there are shown two con- I structions in which the current of air in the outer jacket is downward rather than up ward. Fig. 7 is similarto Fig. 5 except thatthe outer casing 22 is .closed around the burner 15 and has an opening 33 at the top around the inner flue 24. The air enters the opening 33 and passes down along the outer .surface of the chamber to cool the latter,

and then flows upwardly through the central passage.- A portion of it may, if desired, serve to support'combustion.

In Fig. 8 the outer casing 22 is closed at the bottom and has an opening 33 at the toparoundthe flue 24;. An inner casing '20- encircles the burner and is open at the bottom. At the top it connects to a pipe 34: leading tothe flue 24. The air enters the opening 33, flows downwardly" through the outer casing, thence into the inner casing, and up the pipe 34:. r

In the constructions shown in- Figs. 7 and 8 there is the advantage that the two currents of air combine into one. There is also an increase-in efliciency because the air en tering the inner housing has a higher temperature due to the fact that ithas already absorbed heat radiated into the outer air passage.

In each of the various constructions illustrated the flow of air may be regulatedby the use of any suitable form of dampers or air controlling means.

Havingthus described our invention, what -we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A boiler-absorber for refrigerating apparatus including a pair of cylindrical tanks,

spaced apart one above the other the upper having a gas outlet and a passage connects ing the lower part of the upper tank with the lower part of the lower tank, a burner pipe extending lengthwise thereof between said tanks, an inner casing extending over the upper tank and said burner tube, and open to the atmosphere at its loweredge, an outer casing extending around said inner casing and spaced therefrom, and a pair of fines connected to said casings. I 2. A boiler-absorber for refrigerating apparatus including a pair of superpose cylindrical tanks vertically offset relasupport said burner tube, an inner casin scribed. In place of any of the heating ale-.-

tionship the upper having a gas outlet and I a passage connecting the lower part of the upper tank with the lower art of the lower.

' outer casing having a peripheral wall spaced from the inner casing, said casings coo erating to form inner and outer air circu ating passages. 1

3. A boiler-absorber for refrigerating apparatus including a pair of horizontall disposed cylindrical'tanks in superpose but vertically oflset relationship, the upper tank having a gas outlet and the lower tank hav-I ing a passage connecting the lower part thereof with the lower part of the. upper tank, a burner tube beneath the u per tank and at one side of the lower tan and extendingsubstantially parallel to said tanks, and a casing enclosing the upper .tank and having one edge engaging the lower tank and the opposite edge spaced from the lower tank below said burner tube.

4. A boiler-absorber for refrigerating apparatus including apair of horizontally disposed cylindrical tanks in superposed, but vertically offset relations ip, the upper tank having a gas outlet and the lower tank having a passage connecting the lower part thereof with the lower art of the upper tank, and a burner tube eneath the upper tank and at one side of the lower tank and extending substantially parallel .to said tanks, said burner tube having two rows of gas outlets, one for a row of flames for direct heating of the bottom of the upper tank, and

the other for direct heating of the upper part of the lower tank.

5. A boiler-absorber for refrigerating apparatus including a pair of horizontall disposed cylindrical tanks in su erpose but vertically offset relationship, t e upper tank having a gas outlet and the lower tank having a passage connecting the, lower .part thereof with the lower part of the upper tank, a burner tube vbeneath the upper tank and at one side of the lowertank and extending-substantially parallel tosaid tanks,

said burner tube having two rows of gas outlets, one for a row of 'fiames for direct heating of the bottom of the upper tank, and the other for the direct heating of the upper part of the lower tank, and a sheet metal casing enclosing the upper tank and said burnertube and having one edge spaced from the lower tank below said burner. tube.

6. A boiler-absorber for refrigerating apparatus including a. pair of horizontally disposed cylindrical tanks in superposed, but

vertically ofl'set relationship, the upper tank f havinga gas outlet and the lower tank hav mg a passage connecting the lower part thereof with the 'lower part of the upper tank, a burner tube beneath the upper tank and atone side of the lower tank and extending substantiallyparallel to said tanks,

a casing enclosing the upper tank and hayingvone edge engaging the lower tank the opposite edge spaced from the lower tank I below said burner tube, and an outer casing spaced from said vfirst casing and having its opposite lower edges spaced from said lower tank.

7 A boiler-absorberfor refrigerating apparatus including-a substantially cylindrical horizontally disposed tank, a horizontal burner tube disposed therebeneath and substantially parallel thereto, a pair of spaced sheet metal casings extending over said tank and havin the lower edges spaced from the tank and rom eaoh'other below said burner tube.

'8. A boiler-absorber for refrigerating apparatus including a tank, a burner tube for heating the same, a casing enclosingsaid tank and having its walls substantially parallel to the walls of the tank, but spaced therefrom, said casing beingvopen' at the bottom and extending downwardly below said burner tube and having a flue at the upper side and a second or outer casingspaced from the inner casing and also open at the bottom andhaving a flue concentric with the first mentioned flue.

:Signed at 'Brdoklyn, in the county of- Kings, in, the State of New York, this 19th day of March, 1927.

STUART OTTO. LUDWIG REICHERT. 

